Unexpected Gifts

As anyone who follows me on Facebook knows, for the last 40+ days I have been without a laptop. In the grand scheme of life, this hasn’t been a life shattering experience. But there has certainly been a learning curve to adjusting to life without technological mobility.

Though I did it plenty, I really had no reason to whine. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a six year old piece of crap desktop backup. And I had backed up and stored all of my data, documents and graphics on an online database (whew!).

Not being able to move my computer around with me and having to share the computer with my husband (side note: as if it doesn’t sort of ring ridiculous right now, can you imagine even making that comment a decade ago??!!) has forced me to spend my computer time more efficiently. Get on – get it done – get off. And because of that, I’ve actually learned some things through it all…

What I’ve learned while being laptop-less:

Real live kids are cuter than any I can find or read about online.

A computer doesn’t need to be on 24/7.

The internet won’t fall off it’s axis if I’m not on it.

The same number of emails and comments are sent to me whether I check once a day, or 50 times a day.

There is life on the patio that doesn’t include typing.

Focusing on one task at a time is possible.

Getting up and down from the computer chair doesn’t count as exercise.

Recipes can just as easily be found in a real-live (paper!) cookbook

To find out the weather, go outside.

I am able to manage my time well.

That being said: Any minute now today, I will be receiving a wonderful brand-new-to-me laptop, courtesy of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.Who says in-laws aren’t incredible?

Here’s to lessons learned. And hoping it doesn’t take another dead laptop to remind me of them.

KarlaWell, I’m not giving away a laptop, but I did want you and your readers to know about a giveaway for a Chinese Batik Bible Story telling cloth on my blog: http://burningbushes.org/Hope you’ll come over and visit.